Tuition fees and financing options at Fachhochschule Dresden

Why you should invest in your (further) education

As a private university, we offer you many advantages and services from the first interest in a place at our university to your graduation - and beyond. With us, you are not just an anonymous matriculation number, but we accompany you individually, purposefully, supportively and challengingly on YOUR way through your studies.

Contact persons are always available to answer your questions - whether it's information about the study programme, queries about an exam or questions about the content of a course. Our colleagues in the university administration, our professors and lecturers are always ready to listen to you and are happy to support you!

In order to be able to offer you this high quality of study, we have to charge tuition fees. As a private university, the FHD is not supported by public funds, but has to finance itself completely.

A private university - is it only for the rich?

This prejudice still persists. Unfortunately, this means that many people do not even consider the possibility of studying at a private university. Yet most of our students finance their studies themselves and are not dependent on financial support from their parents.

Scholarships, BAföG, part-time jobs, student loans... The options are varied - and in most cases can be combined well.

We will show you how many options there are for financing your studies and are of course always on hand to provide you with help and advice. Together we will find the right options for your individual situation so that nothing stands in the way of your dream studies. 

Save with our discount promotions

Our tuition fees

As a private university, we offer you many advantages. Our admission requirements are more open than at state universities, you study in small groups and receive individual support. Your studies are characterised by a high degree of practical relevance.
In order to offer you this high quality of education, we have to charge tuition fees.

The specific fees vary depending on the type and duration of the programme. You can find the exact conditions for tuition fees in the information material for the respective programme.

 

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Financing options for your studies

Good to know: Discount promotions from FHD

You never stop learning – 10% discount for AFBB / AWV / FHD graduates

Graduates who have completed training or further education at the Academy for Vocational Training (AFBB) or Academy for Economics and Administration (AWV) and subsequently study at the FHD receive a 10% discount on their monthly tuition fees. The same applies to FHD Bachelor's graduates who continue their Master's studies with us.

Early bird discount

It pays to be early: if you decide to study at the FHD within our early bird period, we will waive the £400 enrolment fee. You can find all further information here.

Bring your buddy

Studying together is more fun. Want to start your studies at FHD, but not without your best buddy? If you apply to FHD and bring your friend with you, you will receive €400 as a thank you. Win-win!

You can find all further information on the Discounts page.

Students recruit students

Or are you already studying at FHD and want to inspire others to study here too? Then you can also take advantage of this promotion.

You can find all further information on the Discount Promotions page.

Alumni recruit students

Recommending us is worthwhile! Have you successfully completed your studies with us and would like to share your enthusiasm for Dresden University of Applied Sciences with your friends, acquaintances and colleagues?
Recommend us and we will show our appreciation: for every student who names you in their enrolment application as the person who told them about the Dresden University of Applied Sciences, you can receive a bonus of €200. You can find all further

information on the Discount Campaigns page.

Payment

If you pay the tuition fees in one lump sum at the beginning of your studies, you will receive a 5% discount. A 3% discount is granted for annual payments. 

 

How do I apply for BAföG?

BAföG is paid by the state to enable young people to finance their education or studies. Half of the monthly grant is given to you by the state, while the other half is granted as an interest-free loan. The maximum BAföG rate is currently €992 per month.

Whether you receive money each month and how much depends on factors such as your parents' income, your own assets, your living situation and others. Unfortunately, only full-time students are eligible for BAföG. Find out more about the exact requirements here .

The BAföG calculator provides an initial indication of whether you would receive BAföG and how much.

Good to know: A part-time job earning up to 603€ per month does not reduce your BAföG rate.

You can apply for BAföG online. Very important: Be sure to note the application deadlines! Further information is available here:

Studentenwerk Dresden
Amt für Ausbildungsförderung
Fritz-Löffler-Str. 18
01069 Dresden
http://www.studentenwerk-dresden.de/finanzierung/

 

child benefit

Full-time students are eligible for child benefit until they reach the age of 25. The current monthly amount is 259€.
The application is usually submitted by the parents to the family benefits office.

Jobs

Earn money and gain professional experience: many students finance their studies with part-time and holiday jobs.

Mini-job

With a mini-job, you can earn a maximum of 603€ per month. As a rule, you do not pay any contributions to unemployment and nursing care insurance, no taxes and only a reduced personal contribution to pension insurance (from which you can be exempted). The employer pays flat-rate contributions to the mini-job centre.

If you receive BAföG, an additional mini-job is perfect: you are currently allowed to earn 603€ per month without your BAföG being reduced. A mini-job also has no effect on your child benefit. This means that you can receive BAföG, child benefit and a mini-job salary of 603€ at the same time.

Working student job

Full-time students benefit from the working student privilege and do not have to pay any social security contributions apart from pension insurance contributions. There is no limit on earnings. As a rule, working students are not allowed to work more than 20 hours per week. Short-term employment is an exception.

At our university, there are always many part-time jobs advertised for students that are specifically tailored to our degree programmes. This allows you to gain experience in your future field of work. Our Career Service will be happy to assist you in finding the perfect part-time job.

Germany Scholarship

Recipients of the Germany Scholarship receive 300€ per month , with half of the money coming from the state and the other half from donors and sponsors. The FHD awards Germany Scholarships to its students every year. The Germany Scholarship is based on the Scholarship Programme Act introduced by the Federal Government in July 2010. Information on the federal initiative can be found at deutschlandstipendium.de .

Application

Applications will be accepted from June 2026. The application deadline is 31 August 2026!

Simply apply by email to deutschlandstipendium@fh-dresden.eu with the completed application form , your CV and a letter of motivation. Please also submit a current school report (if you are a school pupil) or a current transcript of records (if you are a student). When applying, please also indicate any special circumstances (single parent, caring for a family member, first academic in the family, own disability, etc.) as well as internships, previous work experience, voluntary work, etc. These factors will also be taken into account in the selection process and will influence the decision. You can find the form for sponsors here:

Deutschlandstipendium_Förderer-Formular 

Your contact person for questions about the Germany Scholarship at the FHD:

Assistant to the University Management

0351 4445-416

deutschlandstipendium@fh-dresden.eu

 

Advancement scholarship for professionally gifted individuals

Have you already successfully completed vocational training and now want to study?
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) supports full-time students with excellent professional achievements with 992€ per month plus a book allowance of 80€ per month . Scholarship holders in a part-time degree programme receive 3045€ per calendar year .

Click here for the explanatory video .

Applications can be submitted before the start of the programme and until the end of the second semester.
All requirements and application information for the scholarship can be found here .

Further scholarships

A scholarship is something for you too!

Many people think that scholarships are out of reach for them. But there are so many different scholarships with a wide variety of selection criteria. Often, it's not necessarily good grades that count, but rather social engagement and your own family and social situation. So it's worth finding out more about the different scholarships available.

Find your perfect match: You can find a good overview of all the scholarships that suit you on Germany's largest scholarship platform, www.mystipendium.de.

How do I find the right scholarship for me? How does the scholarship application process work and what do I need to bear in mind?
Here you will find a free e-book with lots of valuable information: The successful path to a scholarship

Further scholarships:

Part-time

Full-time

Education and student loans

Federal government education loan (only for full-time students)

The education loan is a temporary (min. 3 months, max. 24 months) low-interest loan to support students. Unlike BAföG, the education loan is granted regardless of the student's own income and assets or those of their parents. There is an age limit: the loan is only paid out until the borrower's 36th birthday. The loan amounts to 100€, 200€ or 300€ per month and must be repaid later at a very low interest rate. The education loan can be terminated at any time at the end of the month and can be combined with other financing options (e.g. BAföG).

Further information and the online application form can be found on the website of the Federal Administrative Office: www.bva.bund.de.

KfW student loan

The KfW student loan supports students for up to 14 semesters and offers moderate repayment rates. You can receive between 100€ and 650€ per month – the payment amount can be flexibly adjusted each month according to your current needs. The loan is granted regardless of your income and that of your parents. However, there is an age limit: you must be under 44 years of age when you start receiving the loan. It can be combined with other financing offers, such as BAföG or education loans. You can apply for the KfW student loan at your bank or online.

Further information is available on the KFW development bank website: www.kfw-foerderbank.de.

Reverse intergenerational contract (German Education Study Fund)

The alternative to student loans You can finance

your studies through a reverse intergenerational contract – without worrying about repaying a fixed loan: the amount you repay depends on your individual financial situation after graduation. Repayment only begins once you reach a minimum gross income. You pay back 7.5–12.5% of your gross income each month for a predetermined number of contribution months. This way, you can be sure that you will always be able to afford the repayments, even if your salary is lower. If you continue your studies, do an internship, take parental leave or become unemployed, you can simply suspend your repayments.

Apply at any time of the year and without obligation at www.deutsche-bildung.de


Study financing at a glance:

  • Monthly and/or one-off payments for living expenses, tuition fees, materials and other study costs
  • Independent of your own assets and your parents' income
  • Can be combined with other sources of financing (e.g. BAföG, scholarships, etc.)


Requirements for study financing

  • High level of motivation for the chosen field of study
  • Course of study at a state-recognised university in Germany or a comparable university abroad
  • German Abitur
  • No guarantors or collateral required


Overview: What distinguishes a reverse generation contract from a student loan?

Tax deductibility

Tuition fees and many other education costs, such as travel expenses to university, relocation costs or even costs for work equipment such as laptops, mobile phones or textbooks , can be deducted from your taxes if you

a) are in your first degree programme and pay income tax (e.g. if you are studying while working) or
b) are in a postgraduate programme (master's or bachelor's degree with prior vocational training), even if you do not yet pay income tax.

So if you are working during your first degree and pay tax on your income (a), you can claim training costs of up to 6000€ per calendar year as special expenses in your tax return.
For postgraduate courses (b), it is possible to deduct the full amount of expenses as income-related expenses. This also applies to students in postgraduate courses who have not yet started their professional life and do not yet pay income tax. This is because there is the option of a so-called loss carryforward. You can declare your study costs in your student tax return while you are still studying (or retroactively for several years) – and as soon as you start working and paying income tax, these losses will be offset against your tax liability and refunded.

Please seek advice on tax deductibility from a tax advisor or the relevant tax office, taking into account the current legal situation.

Funding opportunities for international students

For international students, specific information on financing your studies is summarised here.

Your contacts for student finance

We would be happy to look at your individual situation and work with you to find solutions. 
 

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